So my question is what could be some interesting logic or thoughts behind having a lightning magic user being able to fly?

To quote another user who wanted to build a lightning rifle... (Lightning Rifle)

"Typical lightning requires a large difference in electrical potential, and something that prevents equalizing this difference. In lightning storms the ground and clouds (in normal cloud-to-ground scenarios) the "polarities" of our difference in charge. The air itself insulates the exchange of electricity to balance out these charges.

Lightning produces "leaders" prior to the actual flash of electrical discharge we see. Leaders are Channels of ionized air that effectively seek out shortest path (and produce the zig-zag pattern of the bolts)."

The idea I am toying around with is that the lightning casters will do exactly this, generate a massive charge around themselves and a corresponding opposite charge around their target. That said, I'm curious if there could be any potential for this to eventually lead itself to some form of flight.

$\begingroup$Can your wizards ride their own bolts? (like the aliens in War of the Worlds)$\endgroup$
– MagusDec 20 '18 at 17:51

$\begingroup$I hadn't thought of riding their own bolts, literally riding the lightning. That would be neat! But its not something i think I wanted to run with for this type of caster$\endgroup$
– GovinatorDec 20 '18 at 18:06

2

$\begingroup$Once you use the word "magic", why bother with the rest of the logic at this point? You can just make stuff up.$\endgroup$
– NelsonDec 21 '18 at 2:29

4

$\begingroup$@Nelson A magic world has its own rules and the everything in that world must follow those rules. You can't just hand-wave away all problems with "magic". Checkout Brandon Sanderson's Three Laws of Magic.$\endgroup$
– PareshDec 21 '18 at 5:00

1

$\begingroup$@Magus Just so you know, that is so not in the book.$\endgroup$
– Shawn V. WilsonDec 21 '18 at 17:40

5 Answers
5

Unlike turbine-powered planes, the aircraft does not depend on fossil
fuels to fly. And unlike propeller-driven drones, the new design is
completely silent.

“This is the first-ever sustained flight of a plane with no moving
parts in the propulsion system,” says Steven Barrett, associate
professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT. “This has
potentially opened new and unexplored possibilities for aircraft which
are quieter, mechanically simpler, and do not emit combustion
emissions.”

The team’s final design resembles a large, lightweight glider. The
aircraft, which weighs about 5 pounds and has a 5-meter wingspan,
carries an array of thin wires, which are strung like horizontal
fencing along and beneath the front end of the plane’s wing. The wires
act as positively charged electrodes, while similarly arranged thicker
wires, running along the back end of the plane’s wing, serve as
negative electrodes.

The fuselage of the plane holds a stack of lithium-polymer batteries.
Barrett's ion plane team included members of Professor David
Perreault’s Power Electronics Research Group in the Research
Laboratory of Electronics, who designed a power supply that would
convert the batteries’ output to a sufficiently high voltage to propel
the plane. In this way, the batteries supply electricity at 40,000
volts to positively charge the wires via a lightweight power
converter.

Once the wires are energized, they act to attract and strip away
negatively charged electrons from the surrounding air molecules, like
a giant magnet attracting iron filings. The air molecules that are
left behind are newly ionized, and are in turn attracted to the
negatively charged electrodes at the back of the plane.

As the newly formed cloud of ions flows toward the negatively charged
wires, each ion collides millions of times with other air molecules,
creating a thrust that propels the aircraft forward.

This was the simplest possible plane we could design that could prove
the concept that an ion plane could fly,” Barrett says. “It’s still
some way away from an aircraft that could perform a useful mission. It
needs to be more efficient, fly for longer, and fly outside.”

It's the newest thing, and since your caster is a giant electricity generator, they should be able to do this. Either with their fingers to look really talented, or with specially designed suits.

This has a rather unique and terrifying benefit that it is completely silent, so your lightning mage is also a perfectly silent flying assassin, able to go anywhere and hurl bolts on unsuspecting foes.

$\begingroup$Trevor. This answer needs to be expanded to include the relevant content from the link you provided. If the answer cannot stand on it's own without the link it will get deleted since the link may go dead in the future.$\endgroup$
– James♦Dec 20 '18 at 18:23

$\begingroup$@James Ok added some of the article, it loses some meaning by losing the videos. But it's pretty easy to google if the link goes dead, it's major news and a huge scientific leap forwards.$\endgroup$
– TrevorDec 20 '18 at 18:34

$\begingroup$But, looking at the video - how much of that thrust is from the "Ion Engine", and how much is from that big rubber-band launcher it sets off from though?$\endgroup$
– ChronocidalDec 21 '18 at 10:57

$\begingroup$@Chronocidal Well they have a video with just the rubber band. But I imagine it was just to kick start the test since they lacked a runway. However, if initial thrust is a problem and this is only suitable for gliding around, then JMac's idea would be a good source of initial thrust, then using ion flight to fly around, only needing JMac's idea for additional thrust.$\endgroup$
– TrevorDec 21 '18 at 13:48

I think Trevor's idea of ion flight is much more reasonable and in line with what you would want to do, so that's probably the best approach.

But for the sake of exploring options, they could also potentially ride the shockwaves of their own lightning. When lightning strikes it heats up the air significantly (up to 30 000 K), and this air quickly wants to expand due to the nature of gasses and the reaction to heat.

This produces a large pressure blast, which, if carefully positioned should be able to generate a pressure shockwave that is able to push them in the desired direction. It would be a tough balance of being far enough away to not injure; but close enough to still be within the range of the wave before it breaks into thunder. You may need to be wearing protective equipment, or handwave it away. Considering they are able to generate lightning in general, it might be best to assume the pressure doesn't harm them.

You could probably make it a lot better by wearing some sort of glider or wings to increase the lift from the pressure wave. I would think someone dedicated to this may even build some sort of framework that goes behind them that has two surfaces which could build opposing charge; with a lift generating device placed directly in front like a sail. You could essentially make a heat engine that uses ambient air and is worn like a backpack.

The benefit of this is that you would look like an absolute badass riding a trail of successive lightning bolts to your destination. You would be practically riding the thunder (if you ignore the semantics about when the pressure wave actually becomes "thunder").

This option is essentially the opposite direction from Trevor's option. The ion flight would allow a stealthy controlled approach. Riding the thunder would definitely make an entrance, which may or may not be beneficial depending on if you wanted to intimidate or not.

$\begingroup$That really would look cool. And they would know you were coming from such a long distance people would have time to go to church and pray before you arrive.$\endgroup$
– TrevorDec 20 '18 at 18:20

Electrostatic levitation is the process of using an electric field to levitate a charged object and counteract the effects of gravity. It was used, for instance, in Robert Millikan's oil drop experiment and is used to suspend the gyroscopes in Gravity Probe B during launch.

If they can bend their lightning bolts around into rings, and exercise great control, then the more skilled of the casters could use them as make shift plasma thrusters, only instead of expelling ions of xenon fuel, they can use additional bolts to form plasma and blast it through the ring via magnetic fields. After all a strong enough arc will rip the electrons off of atoms to form plasma, it could even be used to melt/weld things ( arc welders and arc furnaces? )

The end result being a bright ring spewing out fire, a makeshift weapon, as well as expert casters being able to fly as far as the edge of space, or make multiple appear to lift heavy objects

The bonus is, there's sort of real world precedent, this is equivalent to a magnetoplasma rocket, such as VASIMIR, except instead of magnets you have rings of electricity/lightning

Magnets, have some magnets in your clothes (possibly electromagnets) then generate a set of repelling electrical fields around yourself making your armor wanting to escape in the direction you want to fly

get some wings (of paper or something) then partially transubstantiate yourself to lightning much reducing your weight enabling lighter than air flight

Don't fly. Teleport by becoming lightning and aim yourself where you want to go